The battle for supremacy in the AFC North division is always a scrappy one each season, and 2010 should be no exception. In handicapping the division, so far from what I’ve seen the Baltimore Ravens look like the team to beat. They will be the favorites of most prognosticators and for good reason. They have a tough, young quarterback in Joe Flacco, a bruising ground game led by the emerging Ray Rice, a good tight end in Todd Heap and added a stellar weapon for Flacco to go to in Anquan Boldin. Their defense is always the focal point of the team and should be again. The only thing that could hold the Ravens back is if age catches up with that defense. Ray Lewis and Terrell Suggs are getting up in years and so is star safety Ed Reed, who is even contemplating retirement. The Cincinnati Bengals surprisingly won this division last season by sweeping their division schedule. I don’t see that happening again. Cedric Benson, a cast-off from the Bears, had a career year to lead the running game. I don’t see that happening again either. The Bengals’ good, young defense, along with QB Carson Palmer, should keep them competitive, but their historical track record says that they will falter. The Pittsburgh Steelers, over the long haul, are the class team of this division, but coach Mike Tomlin just has too many issues to overcome this year. Their two Super Bowl heroes of 2 seasons ago, QB Ben Roethlisberger and WR Santonio Holmes, had off-season off-the-field issues that led to Holmes being traded and Big Ben being suspended for at least 4 games. The Steelers always have a rough and tumble defense, although their play slipped badly when Troy Polamalu was hurt last year. They too, will be competitive but there’s just too much to overcome. The team does have a reputation for plugging in new guys when they lose players, and young Mike Wallace could emerge as a competent replacement for Holmes, but getting by for a quarter of the schedule without your starting QB is a tough situation. The Cleveland Browns have been a laughing-stock in recent years but made some noise at the end of the year by winning their last 4 games, probably saving coach Eric Mangini’s job. New team president Mike Holmgren has them headed in the right direction. They handled their quarterback controversy in a very unique way – trading away both Brady Quinn (to Denver) and Derek Anderson (to Arizona) and bringing in all new people – Jake Delhomme, Seneca Wallace and draft choice Colt McCoy – to compete for the job. If they can get decent QB play the Browns could be the surprise team in this competitive division, but i like the Ravens at this point.
NFL – AFC North In 2010
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